Sustainability Education at UW–Madison : Introduction

Introduction

This guide has been created by the UW–Madison Libraries in partnership with the UW–Madison Office of Sustainability and Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies to provide additional resources that support sustainability practices, teaching, and research. Use the navigation boxes to find resources on Sustainability Dimensions, Systems Thinking, and guidance with literature reviews in the sciences.

UW–Madison students: find sustainability opportunities on campus with the Badger’s Guide to Sustainability

Defining Sustainability

"Sustainability at UW–Madison unites equity, efficiency, education, and research in service of environmental health for all."

- Sustainability Advisory Council (2022)

Extended Definition

"At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, 'sustainability' is the process of teaching, learning, researching, and operating in our community that actively contributes to the equitable, just, and healthy management of our planetary environment, now and in the future. To be sustainable, this process must be:

• Rooted in equity, justice, diversity, and inclusivity; 
• Dedicated to restoring, maintaining, and/or preserving  our shared ecosystems;
• Guided by Indigenous knowledge and wisdom; 
• Informed by fiscal responsibility and operational efficiency; 
• Committed to responsible resource management; 
• Oriented toward positive public health outcomes; and,
• Responsive to local, state, national, and global contexts, including the urgent threat of anthropogenic climate change. 

For UW–Madison to be sustainable, it must become a living model for sustainability, integrating all facets of the process into its culture, its purposes, and its practices."

Language taken from "Defining Sustainability," UW–Madison Office of Sustainability